Happy Birthday Cap
by livingintheshire
Summary: Starts with Steve's birthday. Eventual slash. Steve/Tony. Clint/Natasha thrown in. Possible other pairings. Rated M for future sexy times. Will be a chaptered fic.
1. Birthdays and Formalities

**AN: **The 4th inspired me to write a Steve Rogers birthday fic! It starts off slow, and I apologize for that. Eventual slash! This fic is dedicated to Olivia! Her awesome Tumblr name is oliviaisthebomb :D I know some people hate it, but I'm keeping Coulson alive. It's a tiny part of the story, so I hope it won't retract too much. The layout might be confusing. It goes from present to flashback to present. I hope it makes sense. Happy reading! Apologies to those reading my other fic that is not updated. This one wrote itself, while I have writer's block on the other.

* * *

It was the Fourth of July in New York. Only two months had passed since Loki's attack on the city, but the New Yorkers were quick to recover. From dawn until, well, dawn (it is called the city that never sleeps), the streets were more crowded than ever, as people were commuting to visit family or see fireworks or do any of the vast multitude of pastimes people participate in on Independence Day.

It was also Steve's birthday. The newspapers were filled with stories about the holiday's festivities and about Captain America's birthday. But Steve didn't feel like this day was the birth of Captain America. He had been Steve long before he became a super soldier.

The last birthday he had celebrated was in 1941, before he entered Project: Rebirth. There was no time or cheer for celebration during the war, when so many innocents were dying fighting while he was acting on a stage or dying next to him in battle. Steve didn't expect to do anything today. Everyone he shared his last birthday with was gone. The only people he knew now were a group of dysfunctional superheroes and a handful of agents.

* * *

Besides Bruce, Steve was the first Avenger to move into Stark Towers. But frankly, he didn't have a choice. With the alien invasion, Captain America had burst in on the public scene. Assimilating him into the future was now of utmost importance, and where was a better place with less hassle for Fury than Stark Towers? It would be beneficial for team bonding as well, Fury told him. Fury had already spoken to Stark about it and Fury said the man was surprisingly apathetic about the intrusion into his home. So Steve packed up his few belongings and Happy picked him up.

A voice had greeted him as he arrived, saying Mr. Stark would meet him shortly. The man had shown up a few minutes later in jog pants and a t-shirt and led him to his new room. And by room, Stark meant an entire floor. Even though the two of them hadn't exactly gotten off on the right foot, Steve had to admit Stark's rooms were vastly nicer than SHIELD's. The room was elegantly furnished and decorated in the style of the 1930s. His floor contained a well stocked kitchen (the grocery list was definitely written by Pepper), a full gym, a living room, the largest bathroom Steve had ever seen, and his bedroom. The genius made sure to tell him the top floor was open to all. It had the best kitchen and entertainment system, since the floor was meant for team gatherings. Steve had been speechless, except to say thank you. Stark smiled and returned to his lab.

It turned out that each Avenger had a separate floor. Thor had yet to return from Asgard, so his remained unoccupied, but Clint moved in after a couple of weeks. Natasha never officially moved in. Nobody knew how many hidden apartments and safe houses she had hidden around the world. With her history, it was a habit for her to never remain in one place for long. But there would be days where Tony would go to the bar for alcohol and Natasha would be eating in the team kitchen. Sometimes Steve would hear the shower running on her floor. One time Bruce was riding the elevator on his way to pick up some Indian food when the lift stopped on Barton's floor and Natasha entered the elevator as Clint called, "Bye Tasha!"

A day after he moved in, Tony said he needed to show him something.

"I've been working on this. I know there is a lot for you to catch up on, Cap. Elvis, Star Wars, the like." Tony continued leading Rogers to the lab when he stopped short.

"Oh my god." He turned abruptly to face the Captain. "Playboy."

"Umm…excuse me?" Steve was confused. "I don't gamble, I-"

"Oh wow, you have no idea what Playboy is." Stark sounded gleeful. "This is going to be so much fun later!"

Steve just sighed, which prompted Stark to continue walking.

"Anyways, back to more serious matters." Stark halted in front of a large table. "Pop culture is good and all, but you missed a shit ton of history. I hoped this might help. I can have it moved up to your room if you like."

Tony had built a giant holographic table, figuring Captain Rogers would want a localized area in the towers for study. He also thought the Cap might freak out a little if there wasn't a table. Holographic images were enough of a leap for a man who grew up in the thirties. At least with the table, it appeared the images came from somewhere.

"What is it?" Steve asked.

"JARVIS?"

"Uploading, sir. Would you like chronological order?"

"Yes, let's start with the end of World War II." Stark replied.

Before him appeared a holographic map of the world, locating the positions of the troops during the war. The detail was immense. The genius showed him how to zoom in with his hands and manipulate the holographic image in order to see specific information. The module contained every troop movement recorded, every skirmish, the recorded flow of goods, and all the background material for the war.

"This contains all the history recorded since you…were frozen. It also has information from before that in case you are interested. My program contains social issues – integration, Civil Rights Movement, abortion, and so on, but the coolest part is the battle software. You're the leader of our ragtime band, so I thought the more tactical information the better!" Stark said, sounding excited about his invention. But then his voice lost its cheerful quality.

"Unfortunately, the world has made mistakes. In hindsight, the history makes humans look awful…I hope you take into account that we always did what we thought was best…Damn, now I'm thinking this was a bad idea. The world has really made so many mistakes…Me most of all."

Steve could only just hear what Stark mumbled at the end and wondered at its meaning. Was he talking about Stark Industries weapons? Thinking he wasn't meant to hear that, he ignored the last comment.

"Thank you, Mr. Stark. This will be very helpful and infinitely easier than combing through dozens of books."

"Well, I'll leave you to it Cap. Feel free to use it whenever you like." As he walked away, he said over his shoulder, "And don't worry, I'll make sure to catch you up on pop culture too! Movie night on Friday, I think. Ask Pepper." And with that, the elevator doors closed and he was gone.

The weeks passed without incident. The only blip was when Tony locked himself in his lab alone for a week after Pepper broke up with him. Other than that, the scientist Avengers were often in the lab, and Steve spent most of his time in the gym. Each Friday and some random nights, the team would watch movies together. They all seemed to get on fairly well, but Tony and Steve didn't ever need to talk directly with one another.

* * *

Tony wasn't good with birthdays. Heck, he wasn't even good with knowing the days of the week, or whether it was night or day. When he locked himself in his lab, time was no longer relevant. After the debacle of forgetting Pepper's birthday again, Tony programmed JARVIS to remind him of upcoming birthdays and to purchase a suitable backup present in case he forgot regardless of JARVIS's many reminders. That was another thing that happened in lab. Tony tuned out JARVIS when there were too many equations and inventions buzzing through his mind.

When the Avengers moved in, JARVIS put their birthdays on the calendar, except for Natasha's. Neither JARVIS nor Tony could find her real date of birth.

So on July 1st, JARVIS interrupted Tony and Bruce working in the lab.

"Sir, I am to remind you that Mr. Rogers' birthday is on July 4th."

Tony and Bruce looked at each other before breaking down into laughter.

"Really?" Tony laughed breathlessly.

"Is that accurate?" Bruce asked.

"Yes, sirs. Steven Rogers was born July 4th, 1918."

"He really is Captain America!" Bruce said. They laughed together for a few moments longer, before sobering up.

"Thanks JARVIS. So I guess we have a party to throw!" Tony said.

"Oh no…" Bruce knew what kind of party Tony usually threw.

* * *

Tony surprised everyone by arranging a small gathering of people, with lots of excellent food, a delicious and huge cake, and not as large an amount of alcohol as expected. The only people invited were the Avengers, Phil Coulson, Pepper, and Maria Hill. Unfortunately, Maria was on a mission and Thor was still in Asgard. Pepper wasn't there either, probably because her break up with Tony was too fresh.

No one was more surprised than Steve about the party. Earlier that day he had been called into SHIELD for a mandatory physical, which had been scheduled for that day by Coulson to get Steve out of Stark Towers. When Steve returned, JARVIS prevented him from taking the elevator to his floor and took him to the team floor instead. The doors opened to the five of them standing there smiling, a banner that read "Happy Birthday" hanging above their heads. They decided not to put his age anywhere because thinking about it and looking at Steve was way too confusing.

"Happy birthday!" They said in almost unison.

"Wow, guys! You didn't have to do all this!" He heard replies over one another of "Yes, we did" and "It's your birthday!"

He smiled broadly and thanked them all. They sat down for dinner and ate cake. Instead of his age number of candles, they instead had one large candle shaped as his shield. Ignoring the Captain's protests that they didn't have to buy him presents, the gift giving began.

Clint handed Steve his present with a perfect poker face. The gift was wrapped like a blind one-armed monkey had gotten a hold of tape and wrapping paper. Steve tore through the mess and found three magazines with the word Playboy across the front.

"You didn't!" Natasha spoke, and suddenly everyone was eagerly awaiting Steve's reaction.

Steve asked as he flipped through the first pages, "What is Playboy anyw- OH GOD!" He dropped the magazine like it had burned him while the others fell over laughing. It seems Stark had told Clint that Steve didn't know what Playboy was.

"Nice one, Clint!" Stark said. "I approve." Clint smirked and leaned slightly into Natasha, confidently. She quirked an eyebrow at him before tossing her gift to Steve, who was sitting there gaping at them, cheeks a furious shade of red.

The wrapping on this one was impeccable. Inside was a small object shaped like a hockey puck.

"It's for your belt. It can paralyze your prey in battle," she said with a glint in her eye and a sweet smile on her face. He couldn't tell if she was joking or not. Steve blinked at her and began to thank her before Clint interrupted, taking pity on Steve.

"Don't worry, man. It's shield polish."

"Oh!" Steve smiled. "Thanks Natasha!" She inclined her head in response. The next gift was from Bruce.

"It's not much." Bruce said quietly. Steve carefully pulled apart the green wrapping paper and uncovered a few pouches of what appeared to be tea leaves and herbs.

"I know you've been having trouble sleeping. I have quite a bit of experience with herbal remedies, though none seem to work on The Other Guy, but these should help." Bruce rubbed his neck nervously.

"Wow, thank you. This is great, Dr. Banner." Steve smiled at Bruce, and he returned the smile.

Coulson walked up to Steve hesitantly and gave him his present.

The crisp black and white wrapping paper held a new sketchbook and different types of nice ink pens.

"Oh, Phil. These are beautiful. I can't wait to use them. Thank you!" Phil beamed at him. Steve thought he had never seen the agent look so happy.

Stark was last. He passed the parcel to the Captain. The present was nicely wrapped, which was strange since the genius was quite messy and Pepper wasn't around to wrap it. There was some sort of computer inside.

"It's a laptop – a portable computer. Any one of us can teach you how to use it. It gets easier and a laptop really comes in handy."

"Thank you, Stark."

"No problem, Cap."

They all talked and ate for awhile, watching fireworks and listening to patriotic music coming from the TV. Bruce left first to get his rest, then Coulson had to go after getting a phone call. Clint and Natasha left together. Steve gave them each a hug filled with gratitude for making him feel more at home in this strange world. He thought Coulson might have had a heart attack for a second, which wouldn't be good, seeing as he had just finished recovering from his stab wound.

He was left alone with Stark. Things were starting to loosen up between them, but both still felt guilty for their treatment of the other. Steve awkwardly began to pick up some of the dishes.

"Oh, don't bother to clean up. I have bots for that." The inventor stood. It was as if he waited for everyone to leave. "I've got another present for you. Come on."

"You what? You already got me-"

"Hush, will you?"

Steve reluctantly followed Stark into the elevator. They took the lift to Steve's floor.

"My floor? What?"

Stark ignored him and walked over to a box near the balcony. When they arrived there, he turned to the Captain.

"Happy Birthday Cap."

What was this all about? Steve thought. Well, he may as well open it and find out.

Steve unwrapped the large box and opened it. Stark had given him a record player, a really nice record player, from his time. His mind filled with memories of listening with his mother at home and his mouth quirked up into a smile.

"Thank you, Stark. I…this really has a great deal of meaning for me. It brings back good memories."

"I'm glad you like it. I bought a few records, but I don't really know your taste. Just tell JARVIS what you like and he can order it." Tony was relieved that his present was a success. He didn't want to strain their relationship anymore, for some reason the Captain's respect was important for him to earn. Maybe something to do with my dad, Tony thought, but then scoffed internally. Plus, he felt like it was more than that.

"Mr. Stark, you really are too generous, I can buy my-"

Tony waved him off, "It doesn't even make a dent in my finances, don't worry about it." Rogers' continued usage of his surname bugged him. His father was Mr. Stark. But then he realized hardly anyone called the Captain by his real name. Why would Cap-_Steve_- call him by his first name when people only referred to him by his last name or title?

"Well, I'll leave you to it. Happy birthday, Steve."

"Thank you for today and the gift. Good night...Tony."

Smiling, Tony left the room and Steve pulled out a record, setting it in the player. He hadn't looked at the title, so he was pleasantly surprised by the music that began to play. Steve loved this song before he went to war, before the fighting and death.

Tony was starting to grow on Steve. The genius was so unexpectedly thoughtful. Maybe the arrogance was just a show? Steve pushed the thoughts aside for later, relaxing on his back on the couch to listen to the singer's beautiful voice.

"Good choice, Tony." He said softly and closed his eyes.

_Our love _

_Is a dream, but in my reverie_

_I can see that this love was meant for me_

_Only a poor fool_

_Never schooled in the whirlpool_

_Of romance could be so cruel_

_As you are to me_

_My dreams are as worthless as tin to me_

_Without you life will never begin to be_

_So love me_

_As I love you in my reverie_

_Make my dream a reality_

_Let's dispense with formality_

_Come to me in my reverie_

* * *

_**AN: **_Please please please review! It helps me write. In the early 1900s, playboy meant musician or gambler. It wasn't until late 1940s or so that it took on the other connotation. I took Steve's birthday from the movie but I've seen conflicting years, so apologies if it's incorrect in the comics or whatnot. The song at the end is called My Reverie with Larry Clinton on trumpet and Bea Wain singing. The shield polish was the lovely Olivia's idea! All props to her :D_  
_


	2. Play Nice

**AN: **I'm really sorry, this is going extremely slowly. Both my writing and the relationship in the story. It will take awhile before anything extremely romantic happens, so I apologize for that. It will happen though! And I'm trying to write more but it is difficult. My mom keeps getting on me to do "useful" things, so that's why I haven't updated in so long. My parents won't let me sit down and write! I'm almost 21, I should be able to DO WHAT I WANT! Anyways, I hope this chapter is alright, it's mostly Tony's feelings. He just has lots of feels, ok? :D I love you all and thank you so much for the favorites/follows/comments! **~Heather**

* * *

When Tony had received the call from Fury, he didn't know what to think. What was even more surprising was how easily and quickly he agreed to Steve moving in. Normally with Fury, he put up a hell of a fight. Even in the rare situations when he wanted the same things as Fury, he would argue, just for the sake of arguing. He's Tony Stark – that's what he does.

He knew eventually that Steve would move into Stark Towers. In fact, he had been planning since Loki's attack to turn his building into the Avengers Tower and move them all in. Construction had begun the minute the designs were finished. But of all the Avengers, Steve was the one Tony had the most mixed feelings about.

Tony enjoyed having Steve around. Nobody stood up to Tony _and _managed to not be a dick or annoying at the same time. Rhodey was still one of Tony's greatest friends, but he was an asshole when he confronted Tony on his birthday. He fucking stole his suit and fought him! Didn't he know that violence and brute force never solved any problems? Well, I guess that's why he is in the air force. Tony had been a little late learning that lesson too. And in Rhodey's defense, he didn't know that Tony was dying.

Pepper standing up to him was either nonexistent or irritating. She has strong opinions and an excellent character, but she lacks gumption. Essentially, she was entirely too sweet to make any rage seem threatening. And that was where it all went wrong. Pepper was trying to make him see how dangerous it was for him to fight, how he couldn't keep risking his life the way he did, how pissed off she was because he was prepared to sacrifice his life when there _must_ have been another way. But he brushed her concerns off as he usually did. It was the last straw. She left him the next day, leaving a note saying she would continue to work for him, but couldn't survive in this relationship anymore. And fuck it, that breakup hurt a lot more than he thought it would.

When Steve stood up to him, he hated the guy. The super soldier managed to piss him off more than any else had in a long while. At the same time though, Tony respected him more. It was not like the super soldier was wrong in his opinion of him anyways. Oh, how the Captain had infuriated him that day on the helicarrier. But then they managed to work so well together, amazingly well, especially for a person who doesn't play well with others. Tony didn't even have to say a word to the captain during the battle for him to lift up his shield and reflect his blast of energy at the aliens. How the hell did Steve know Tony wanted to do that? Fighting with Steve in battle only increased Tony's respect for him. The kid knew what he was doing – or the old man…whatever, it's confusing. Against his better judgment, Tony began to like the captain. If nothing else, the man could be an excellent verbal sparring buddy.

And for some reason, it was important for Steve to think well of him too.

He remembered all the nights his father would lament about the loss of a great man, the loss of Captain America. Tony, boy genius, felt like nothing in the eyes of his father. There was a time when he too idolized Captain America, but it soon turned to bitterness. Tony remembered thinking, "Yes, so the super soldier died. Isn't it time you got over that, Dad, and paid attention to your own son who is very much alive?" and "What am I lacking that he had?". In the end, he told himself he had given up trying to please his father. He sunk into more enjoyable and forgetful activities: alcoholism, one-night stands. To sum it up in one word: debauchery. But nobody knew more than himself that he really hadn't given up. He could never stop trying to be the son his father would be proud of, even if his father was dead and would never see. It's not like Tony Stark believed in heaven anyways.

When Steve didn't live up to his expectations at first, Tony had vented some of his bitterness to Bruce.

"That's the guy my dad never shut up about? Wondering if they shouldn't have kept him on ice."

But he was starting to think he was wrong. Really, he had said as much to Loki. "A living legend, who kind of lives up to the legend." Even though he didn't like it, he had to admit he was a little impressed.

"You know, would it kill the guy to be a little impressed by me?" Tony thought sometimes, remembering what the captain had said.

"I know guys with none of that worth ten of you."

He wanted to be worth something. If he couldn't be as worthy or important as the guys Steve had spoken about, he hoped he could at least lessen the difference. Despite what people think, it doesn't take much for Tony Stark to feel less of himself. He had dealt with the media, with the disappointed father, with the jealous and the angry and the hordes of people out to get him – to hate him and belittle him. But Steve Rogers hating him hit a lot closer to home, especially when nobody agreed with the captain more than himself. After consideration and bitterness and too much yet too little alcohol, Tony made it his goal to get the captain to be a little impressed by him, to like him, and see him as worth maybe half of those guys instead of a tenth.

That's why when Steve moved into Stark Towers, Tony decided to play nice for once. Steve arrived, looking awkwardly down at his hands waiting for him. The sight brought a smile to Tony's face before he banished it, interrupting whatever thoughts were going through Steve's head by reaching out and shaking his hand.

"Captain Rogers, good to have you."

"Mr. Stark, thank you for accommodating me."

It was a firm but warm handshake, the second of their handshakes that wasn't a battle for power. The first had been when Loki and Thor returned to Asgard and everyone had peacefully gone their own ways.

Tony had to admit, as he was leading Steve to his floor, that he was eagerly anticipating the captain's reaction. Of all the floors, this was the one he was second most proud of and first most nervous about. Obviously, he was most proud about Bruce's/the Hulk's floor – it was a work of engineering genius. But he really wanted Cap to like his floor. So when Steve was struck speechless, Tony knew he had succeeded and smiled warmly at the soldier.

The next day, he felt he gained even more points in his favor after presenting his history hologram table. However, he feared he would lose a large amount of points, potentially even too many to make up for, when Steve saw Tony's impact on the world. When he saw Tony's many mistakes. The soldier said he saw the videos of him fighting, but had he seen the multitude of videos showing the destruction his inventions had wreaked upon the earth and its people? Had Cap known that Tony's own weapons were being used against each other, only serving to raise the death rate on both sides of this war? Fearful of the look in the captain's eyes or the lecture he thought might come when he found out, Tony didn't seek out Steve's company. His isolation from Steve and everybody else increased when Pepper left him and he locked himself away for a week with his tools, his alcohol, and his lack of self-esteem. When Tony did see Steve for movie nights or out and about in the building, he noticed the captain didn't seem to have any issues with him. Maybe he understood that Tony had changed. Or maybe he just hadn't gotten through the history to the present day yet. Tony hated not knowing.

* * *

When JARVIS informed Tony of Steve's upcoming birthday, he wanted to make the day a pleasant one. For one, throwing a good party might mend a few more bridges between him and the Captain. But more importantly, who knows when the guy last had a birthday? Tony planned what he hoped would be the perfect birthday party for Steve, which was difficult since he didn't know what the guy liked. In the end, he thought he did a good job. He also had put a lot of thought into his present. A computer was a must – Steve needed one – but it was really more to prevent the other Avengers from learning about his other gift. If they had known what his real gift was, they might have been suspicious. Tony never gave presents, and if he did, they weren't thoughtful. They weren't carefully selected presents that were meticulously wrapped. They weren't accompanied by records of some of Tony's favorite classic songs. He didn't want the team to get the wrong idea.

It's not like Tony _liked_ Steve or anything.

* * *

**AN: **Please review! And only nice reviews because otherwise I will probably lose all motivation. Tell me anything you want to see in the next chapters! If you want to follow me on tumblr, my username is onmyowninaseparatesky.


	3. Unknown History

**AN: **I'm an awful person for not updating. I haven't had any time to write! Anyways, **trigger warning** for bullying in this chapter. I made up almost all of Steve's history, so if anything is wrong, I'm sorry! I hope it's an okay chapter. **~Heather**

* * *

After he left Steve with his present, Tony headed down to his lab. He tinkered with several projects he was working on, but couldn't get Steve out of his head.

To come straight out of battle in the second world war and be thrown into present day New York was something Tony couldn't even fathom. Steve had been away from home fighting in the deadliest war in history, combating enemies that the public hadn't even known existed, and had come out of it seemingly emotionally unscathed. The more Tony thought about him, the more he realized how complicated Steve was. There was much more to him than Tony had assumed in the beginning. When he had been given the files, he had to admit he paid more attention to Thor, Loki, and Bruce's files. Super soldier serum wasn't a stretch for Tony's mind. But aliens who thought they were gods? A lab accident that turned a scientist into an uncontrollable green rage monster? Those were way beyond what he had ever imagined possible before. Now that he was caught up on Steve, Tony felt a growing urge to know more about the man.

Dropping his wrench, he gave up on getting any more work done tonight.

"JARVIS, pull up Steve's file."

"Right away, sir." Immediately, the images and papers appeared in front of him.

"Thanks, JARVIS," Tony said, already manipulating the hologram to study the contents. "Let's start at the beginning."

Steven "Steve" Rogers. Born premature July 4, 1918. Birth weight: 5 lbs 1 oz. Birth height: 17 ½ inches.

Father: Joseph Rogers, date of birth unknown

Date of death: September 23, 1921

Cause of death: presumed liver failure, known alcoholic

Mother: Sarah Rogers, date of birth August 19, 1896

Date of death: January 7, 1934

Cause of death: Pneumonia

Steve Rogers' medical history: Asthma, scarlet fever, rheumatic fever, sinusitis, chronic or frequent colds, high blood pressure, palpitation or pounding in heart, easy fatigability, heart trouble, nervous trouble of any sort, has had household contact with tuberculosis, parent/sibling with diabetes

SHIELD had a ridiculous amount of information collected on the super soldier. Tony supposed they wanted to know his life story in case they needed to provide psychiatric help for the captain out of time. There was a large collection of personal photos, as well as accounts from his neighbors, coworkers, and teachers on his development. Damn. Tony wondered if SHIELD had this much on him as well. Probably, Tony mused.

Many of the photos were school pictures. Others contained glimpses of Steve's holidays and featured a tired but beautiful woman. Some were of young Steve and a tall boy with his arm around Steve's shoulders. Tony looked at a picture attached to a newspaper article. It was a photo of Steve to go along with the article about being the winner of an art competition in primary school.

Steve drew? Well, that was news to Tony. He looked at the photo again. Man, they weren't kidding when they said he was small. If it weren't for the face, Tony wouldn't believe this Steve and his Steve were the same person. His Steve? _The Avengers' _Steve. The inventor shook his head to clear it. Quickly, he moved the picture aside to read the documents.

The super soldier had grown up impoverished. Steve's father had been an alcoholic and died when Steve was still a toddler, so he'd never really known his father. His mother was left to fend for herself in a time period where for many women working was discouraged. Work was hard to find, but when it was available, she often took employment as a maid or a nanny. As soon as Steve was old enough, he worked as a paper route boy. Tony had to admit what an adorable image that presented.

It was also common for the neighbors to see the frail boy pulling a wagon full of empty cans to sell. Every account painted Steve as a sweet, polite boy with no airs or graces about him. At times, the neighbors in his Brooklyn community worked together to care for the boy. It was a sort of "It takes a village" upbringing. His mother would kiss him goodbye early each morning before she went to work, leaving a small bowl of oatmeal for Steve. Shortly after her departure, the neighbors would see Steve shouldering his pack and riding his bike down the street to the newspaper office. Once he finished delivering the papers, he would bike to the school. After classes ended, Steve rode to the elderly Mrs. Henry's house. Nobody was home at his house, so the kind neighbor asked his mother if she could look after him. As many kind-hearted elderly women are prone to do, she doted on Steve and constantly tried to fatten him up to no avail. Mrs. Henry wrote in her statement that she and the young Steve would engage in conversation while she did her knitting and he drew. She never saw him without his sketchbook, which was really just a binder filled with odd bits of paper that anybody could spare. He had incredible skill and she said her home was soon covered with his sketching. She refused to let SHIELD see the drawings.

Where Steve was eleven, a new family moved into their neighborhood. The Barnes family consisted of a well-adjusted couple with a son called Bucky around Steve's age. Steve would still visit Mrs. Henry frequently, but his days were soon filled with Bucky. After Steve's paper route, he and Bucky would ride their bikes to school together and would cheerily make their way home afterwards. Bucky became a fixture in Mrs. Henry's house for a time, but he was nothing like the calm and collected Steve. Bucky fidgeted, wanting to engage in more active pursuits. All the neighbors' accounts said that Bucky and Steve were the best of friends, attached at the hip. That even though Bucky grew strong, played sports, and dated many a girl, he never abandoned Steve, nor did he treat him like a sidekick or a charity case. Steve had many claims to his name. He was very intelligent. Tony was pleasantly surprised to see his school reports and to see he received full marks in all of his subjects. Steve took art at the school as well.

Unfortunately, Steve started high school during the worst year of the Great Depression. Fine art programs were cut completely, and many students dropped out of school. Steve's attendance at school lessened because he had to work at whatever jobs were available. Shoe-shining, delivering papers, and even construction. Tony looked at one of the pictures of Steve from high school. How could he even lift a hammer? Tony thought, feeling his stomach clench in irrational fear for his weak arms. The Rogers family was often seen in the soup lines, waiting for food. However, the Barnes family helped wherever they could. Mr. Barnes and Bucky were constantly hired for construction due to their strong builds, so even with the smallest salary, they prevented themselves and their neighbors from starving. Somehow, the Brooklyn community made it through the depression. Even more incredibly, Steve and Bucky graduated high school. It was Mrs. Henry's firm belief that Bucky only graduated because Steve made him go to class with him.

At the end of the grade school notes, there was a large file. Tony opened it to find hospital records. There were at least a dozen hospital records reporting injuries from bullying at school. There weren't any details about the actual bullying incidents, but the broken bones, sprains, bruises, cut lips, and stitches were enough to go by. Several pictures had been taken of Steve for evidence after the incidents. As Tony looked at them, the pictures began to blur and he felt nauseous. Putting his hand to his mouth, the genius blinked, suddenly clearing his vision as two tears fell from his eyes.

Looking away, the nausea subsided slightly, only to be replaced by a fierce anger. Tony stood from his chair abruptly.

"What the fuck, what the FUCK. WHO THE FUCK WOULD DO THAT?" Tony yelled, pacing the lab.

Unable to calm his rage, he decided he should do something destructive as a release. Blowing stuff up, however, wasn't personal enough to him right now. Then he thought of the perfect place – the gym. He hoped Steve wasn't there, even though it was his gym. Tony didn't think to build one for himself. There was one thing Tony knew – he didn't want to see Steve for fear of letting on that he read his file. Really, he needed to have a word with Fury. This file contained extremely personal information for anyone to see! It should at least be classified. Of course, Tony still would have hacked his way in. If it was classified though, others wouldn't be able to know what he knew.

Still musing on the choice words he would say to Fury when he got the chance, Tony made his way to his room to change into a black wife beater and black sweatpants, donning more sensible shoes as well. He took the elevator to Steve's floor and snuck into the gym. In his haste to punch something, Tony accidentally left the door ajar.

Quickly wrapping his hands, the inventor started punching the hanging bag. His punches grew stronger and angrier as his body filled with adrenaline and testosterone from his rage. Tony tried to make his mind cease, but his inner monologue wouldn't stop.

How can people be so cruel? Why was humanity so completely screwed up? The pictures of young Steve's injuries kept flashing through his mind.

Tony Stark does not cry, he told himself. Tony Stark does NOT fucking cry. That lesson had been verbally beat into him when he was a child. Crying was distracting from his father's work. Showing emotions was just him whining for more attention and getting in the way. So Tony learned to hide his emotions pretty damn well, under sarcasm and wit. Under alcohol and women. He even managed to hide from himself at times. But right now, right fucking now, there was no place Tony could hide. And though he would never admit it, his face felt damper than could be explained away as sweat.

"Peace means having a bigger stick than the other guy." He had always loved to use that philosophy of his father's to justify what he did for a living. My dad always was a Theodore Roosevelt fan. "Speak softly and carry a big stick." But having a big stick didn't make you better than your enemy, it just made you stronger and more capable of violence.

Overcome with self-loathing, Tony spoke aloud. "I'm a fucking bully. I'm the one who created weapons so the United States could have a big stick to intimidate and massacre our enemies. God, I enabled the bullying of nation upon nation. I FUCKING FUELED WARS." The fire went out of him and Tony crumbled to his knees.

"Useless. I am useless." Tony dropped his head into his hands and sobbed.

Unseen by Tony in the back of the gym, Steve quietly slipped out and returned to his room.

* * *

**AN: **Inspiration for this came out of nowhere. I hope it's not too OOC. Please review, it inspires me to write!


	4. On Judgments and Inconvenient Attraction

**AN: **Hello all! So I'm done apologizing for not updating regularly. I have a life to live, so these updates are going to happen whenever they happen and they are going to be as long as I want them to be. I don't have much time to write and I'm trying. Thanks for understanding :) This chapter has a lot of angst as well, but don't worry. We are rapidly approaching fluffy yumminess. I just wanted to do a sound character analysis about their feelings before I delved in. I am so glad you guys seeem to appreciate my verbose analyses (which I feel are terrible ramblings, much like this author's note). You are all amazing people and I want to give you a thousand hugs for reading! **~Heather**

**Warning**: I hope nobody gets offended with what I say about Steve. I LOVE Steve, but I feel he was a bit of a jerk in the Avengers, so I talk about that a lot. Captain America has faults, though he always recognizes them and improves. After this chapter, Steve will be the good man that he usually is :)

* * *

_Crap_.

Well, that was unexpected. "What do I do?" Steve thought. Sitting on his bed, Steve pulled his knees up and wrapped his arms around his legs, resting his chin on the tops of his knees. "What do I do?" He repeated out loud.

"I don't know. Should I just leave him alone? He wouldn't want my help anyways," Steve thought. From what Steve just witnessed in the gym, he was starting to think that although Tony talked big and pretended to be at home in a crowd, he actually liked to keep his emotions and real personality concealed. He would present a front for the audience, but he never trusted any of them with his true self. If there was one thing Tony Stark had, it was trust issues. Had Steve earned Tony's trust enough to help him? Definitely not, Steve thought.

Steve had been an asshole when they first met. He was supposed to stand for all that was good and right in mankind, but he judged Tony harshly by his first impression alone. How many assumptions had Steve made that he was wrong about?

"Don't judge a book by its cover," the saying went. Well, Steve had constantly been judged that way. When he was growing up, Steve had been known as the weak one and people would take advantage of him. They thought that since he was small, they could do whatever they wanted and that he wasn't worth much. As soon as he underwent the serum procedure, people began to judge him based on his muscles. Suddenly, he was no longer considered intelligent because he was strong instead. Steve had had enough of being judged. And what did Steve do? He judged Tony by his cover, by his front that he presented to protect himself. Why was he protecting himself? What made Tony afraid to open up to people? All Steve knew was in that one conversation, he had acted like everything he despised.

"I know guys with none of that worth ten of you. I've seen the footage. The only thing you really fight for is yourself. You're not the guy to make the sacrifice play, to lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over you." Those words were some of the many Steve regretted. He had been so sure that he knew Tony's character, that he was selfish, arrogant, heartless. And then hours later, the same man he thought he knew flew up into a portal with a missile, with the knowledge he would never return. If Tony hadn't survived, Steve didn't know what he would've done. The shame would have consumed him. He had been so utterly _wrong_.

Their meeting had in part been tainted by some bitterness in Steve's heart. He had counted Howard Stark as one of his friends. When he looked at Tony, he could see the same genius and drive, and many of the same facial features. Making a judgment on his limited knowledge of Tony, he was bitter that his friend's child did not live up to his father's name. What made him even more saddened was that Howard Stark was dead and Steve was very much alive. In the beginning, Steve didn't fit in with these twenty-first century people. The technology and history didn't faze him. What did was the change in people's hearts. The loss of pride in one's country, the loss of chivalry and dignity. At first, he had also thought the loss of truly good men, but Agent Phil Coulson soon proved him wrong on that case. When waking up in the future, Steve had his faith in humanity shaken and he judged everyone poorly and unfairly. He knew better now. The people of today were good people, and the pride and chivalry and dignity was shown in different ways than in his time. There was also a deal more freedom for people today. A great amount of progress had been made in many social issues. Women could work many of the same jobs as men today, without a second thought, and racial and religious discrimination was lessening each year. Even freedom for different sexual orientations was making some progress, though not nearly as quickly as it should.

Steve had been wrong and now Tony was paying for it because Steve couldn't help. If they were friends, he would feel no hesitation to talk to Tony. But they weren't, not yet. A rift had been driven between them, preventing him from feeling like he was worthy or capable enough to help Tony. And Steve feared the damage was irreparable.

* * *

He had been trapped in a nightmare. In this dream, Steve was on the same train he had been on many years ago. Frozen in place, he would watch while Bucky would fall to his death, helpless to save him. Next, Peggy would take his place. Then Natasha. Bruce. Clint. Coulson. Thor. Next, he would suddenly be in New York City, the wreckage of the invasion all around him as he watched Tony fall to his death from the portal, waking before Tony hit the ground, the Hulk unable to save him this time. Many nights, he dreamed he would lose them, his new friends – his new family. He dreamed he would fail them all like he had failed Bucky.

When Steve woke, he shook his head at himself. Bucky's death wasn't his fault, he constantly told himself that. He knew it was true, but that didn't stop him from getting caught up on the guilt in his dreams. Shaky and tormented by the ghosts of his past and the fragments of his dream, Steve washed his face in the bathroom before heading to the gym. Working out always provided him with a helpful release, and right now he was extremely grateful that Tony built him a gym.

As he approached the gym, he noticed the door was ajar, allowing a crack of light to spill out. From inside, he could hear the rhythmic thuds of fists against a punching bag. Who was in his gym? An intruder? Sneaking softly to the door, Steve peered in. He was completely shocked. Tony? What was Tony doing working out? He rarely saw him outside the lab and had never seen Tony work out. Curious, Steve pulled the door further open, thankful for the oiled hinges that prevented creaking, and slipped inside.

Tony was turned slightly away from him, so Steve could only see the right side of his face. The far wall was simply a large mirror, so Steve would be able to judge his own workout form. His eyes now adjusted to the light of the gym, the soldier could see Tony clearly. He felt his mouth open slightly in surprise.

The inventor was quite fit. Much more fit than Steve had expected from a scientist who relied on his suit and brain for his abilities. Tony was wearing a tight, black wife beater, which permitted Steve to see the lines of his muscles, from the outline of strong lats through the shirt to the sizable arm muscles. Dark clothing looked sinfully great on Tony. Unlike the bulky muscles of Thor, Tony possessed a leaner build. The cords in his forearms were prominent, and at each impact of Tony's fists with the punching bag, his muscles rippled with the effort. His form was excellent, as if he had been trained to fight. Damn, Steve thought, as he watched the man relentlessly pound the bag, muscles just starting to glisten with sweat. Steve felt his lips go dry, so he flicked his tongue out to wet them.

"Come on, Steve," he told himself. "You cannot be attracted to this man."

He'd felt slight attraction to men before. Bucky had been a handsome man, and there had been some others in the army who he felt attracted to. He never made much of it – he was too enamored of Peggy to think of acting on it. Plus, there was a time and place, and the front line definitely wasn't it. As for Bucky, his short lived crush occurred during his adolescence, but ended when he figured out that Bucky was most assuredly straight. So feeling attraction to both men and women didn't exactly alarm him. However, his desire for a man had never been this strong and in his face.

He was attracted to Tony Stark. This wasn't good. Not good at all. Tony didn't even like him, and now Steve thought he was hot. The team meetings will only become more awkward now.

Steve was just about to leave the gym to prevent Tony from discovering him, when Tony began to speak. Jumping slightly, he thought he had been caught, but then he heard the words. Steve looked closely at Tony's face, then glanced in the mirror on the far wall to make sure. The genius was crying. All attraction forgotten, Steve watched as Tony fell apart in front of him.

"I'm a fucking bully. I'm the one who created weapons so the United States could have a big stick to intimidate and massacre our enemies. God, I enabled the bullying of nation upon nation. I FUCKING FUELED WARS," the man in front of him yelled to the air, voice painfully hoarse with anguish and self-loathing as he fell to the ground.

Why did Tony think he was a bully? Steve's mind started to race with thoughts and question before the silence was broken again.

"Useless. I am useless."

Steve couldn't bring himself to tear his eyes away from the shattered figure before him. Quiet sobs were racking the inventor, mingling with harsh intakes of breath - the man trying desperately to compose himself.

Steve's calm demeanor cracked in concern, face crumbling into one of sadness and pity. Steve bit his tongue hard to prevent himself from saying something, anything.

"You are not useless," he wanted to say, to yell, to whisper. He wanted to collapse on the floor next to Tony and wrap him in his arms, letting him cry on his shoulder. Wanted to apologize for all the judgments he had pressed upon the man and take away whatever demons were haunting him. But he wasn't allowed. He couldn't be allowed, could he?

Not knowing what to do, he ran away.

* * *

The indecision and guilt about leaving Tony alone in the gym ate at Steve. He knew he should just sleep, but sleep wouldn't come. Then he remembered Bruce's present to him. One of the pouches contained herbs that he could chew, instead of ones that you were supposed to use for tea. Steve was extremely thankful for this because it meant he could go to sleep without having to go to the kitchen and risk seeing Tony.

Thanks to the herbs, Steve quickly slipped into a dreamless slumber.


	5. Historically Caught Up

**AN: **FINALLY I got a chance to write. It sounds weird, but I think I actually might be able to write more once I'm back at school. I won't have parents pestering me all the time! I hope this chapter is alright and that I don't offend anyone who uses Internet Explorer! Thanks for reading and being so amazingly patient. **~Heather**

* * *

After a few minutes, Tony took a deep breath and picked himself up off the gym floor. Turning to look in the wall mirror, he released a noise of disgust at the state of his face, and slowly wiped his eyes with the back of his hands.

Returning to a more sedate state of mind, he realized his reaction had been severe for someone he wasn't particularly supposed to care for. And he would be lying if he said he wasn't harboring murderous thoughts towards the bullies, even though most of them were probably already dead. Steve was his teammate – it was logical for Tony to feel the need to protect him from physical harm. But his feelings surpassed that. He wished he could protect Steve from the events of the past, and even more so, the emotional damage that had been done to him. Most of all, what Tony really wished was to be Steve's friend. But it really was no wonder why Steve hated him so much. Tony Stark was a bully, so there was no chance for friendship there.

Unwrapping his hands, Tony remembered the rest of the folder which had been left unread. Sneaking out as quietly as he could, he made his way back to his lab, counting himself lucky that he hadn't run into Steve at all.

Once settled back in his chair, Tony picked up where he left off. It turned out Bucky had been admitted to the hospital at the same time as one of the more brutal beatings. Broken hand, the file said. Tony noticed with some amusement that SHIELD also included the medical file of a boy around the same age with a broken jaw. "Good job, Bucky!" Tony murmured quietly. He felt a surge of relief that he'd had someone trying to protect him back then. Finished with the medical file, he pulled up the history after high school.

Steve attended art school for awhile, but then there was the war.

Much of the rest he knew about already: from history class, from comic books, from his father's stories. Steve had stubbornly, foolishly, bravely tried to enlist numerous times before finally being selected as a candidate for Project Rebirth. Then a series of events. The soldier serum transformation. The death of Dr. Abraham Erskine and suicide of Heinz Kruger. The perfect moment for Steve to be utilized to his full potential. But instead, as Tony's father had told him many times, the army acted like idiots and barred Steve from service.

Ah, the days as a chorus girl. Tony remembered when he was overly bitter about his father's preferment of the "dead" Captain, he would bless his lucky stars that at least he had never been caught dead acting on stage in a spangly outfit. No, no - when Tony Stark was on stage, he wore a classy suit. It was completely different! Quirking his mouth into a self-deprecating smile, Tony finally admitted that it really wasn't so different from his performances at the Stark Expo.

Now came the exciting part. Steve disobeyed orders and snuck into enemy territory, with the help of Peggy Carter and one Howard Stark, of course! Singlehandedly, he liberated the prisoners from the factory, discovered the locations of the other factories, and managed to steal some of the enemy technology. Such a heroic and successful deed began a slew of missions utilizing his and his team's skills. Tony read through each report, his amazement growing with every word. Even with all of Tony's skirmishes in the Middle East during the beginning of his Iron Man days, Steve had fought in many more battles than him. All were successes, save two. The first left the team with their first casualty, Bucky Barnes. _He fell off the train_. His death wasn't even at the hands of a bullet. Steve's best friend _fell_ off the train, and there was nothing Steve could do to save him.

"_God. _He must blame himself for that. I know I would. I guess we both carry the weight of the world on our shoulders, unnecessarily," Tony thought.

The second mission that was not a complete success was the day Steve "died" for his country. Everyone knew that story.

Tony rubbed his face roughly, sighing. Damn it. This information was only further cementing the fact that Steve Rogers was amazing and just as much a hero as Tony had thought him during his youth. He had gone from wanting the captain to respect him, to respecting Steve regardless of his own opinion of Tony, to wanting to befriend the captain for reasons more than maintaining peace during team meetings and missions. Head full and limbs exhausted, he gave up on doing anymore work tonight and headed to his bed to sleep.

* * *

The next morning after his usual workout and breakfast of eggs and toast, Steve sat down with his new laptop. He didn't want to bother Tony and he definitely didn't want to take any of Pepper's time – she had enough on her hands taking care of Stark Industries.

First things first. Steve searched through the box for the instruction manual. Upon finding it, he skimmed the beginning pages. It looked simple enough. He managed to power on the device and set everything up. After becoming acquainted with most of the computer's programs, he decided it was time to meet the internet – but he had no idea where to start.

"JARVIS?"

"At your service, sir."

"How do I get on the internet?" That wasn't in the instruction manual.

"You open up Internet Explorer in the start menu. Type in " " in the search bar. The first program you should download is another internet browser. As Mr. Stark puts it, 'Only old or stupid people use Internet Explorer.' I would suggest Google Chrome or Firefox, sir."

"Thanks, JARVIS." Steve quickly did as instructed. He waited patiently while the new browser downloaded and wondered what manner of websites and information was available. He had been led to believe the internet was overloaded with knowledge, but how did a person know what to search for? At this moment, Steve's only questions were about history, and he had Tony's holographic table gift for that.

He had only reached the Gulf War so far. The years between his own and the Gulf War were incredibly busy and detailed. Many events had happened that he needed to catch up on, and Steve made sure to thoroughly study each year. However, after last night, he really wanted to know what tormented Tony so much about the past.

"It can't hurt to skip ahead a bit. I can always go back later," Steve thought as he searched Tony's name in Google. Reading through the bare summaries of the history, Steve finally found what he was looking for.

The Merchant of Death.

There were thousands of articles over the course of years, describing Tony Stark as a war-monger, a profiteer, a man who cared more for money and fame than human lives. In many, they called him The Merchant of Death. Several dozen articles included data and statistics claiming Stark Industries increased the violence and prevalence of war. This was ridiculous! The media blamed one man for the faults of many. There were too many factors in war for one man's inventions to sway the tide of history, no matter how ingenious his inventions were!

His kidnapping.

Here the articles clamored with gossip and wonderings, some reporting that Tony Stark was dead, some that he was missing or captured, even some that said his disappearance was fake and Tony was simply enjoying himself on some private island, spending hard-working Americans' money. Many wrote that his loss was detrimental to the economy and the progress of technology, while others cruelly celebrated the vanishing of The Merchant of Death.

He read a rather positive article, which stood out from all the rest. For once, the article focused objectively on the impact of Stark Industries. In addition to supplying and building weapons, Stark Industries devoted millions of dollars to medical research and biomedically engineered crops. The advancements that Tony and his company worked on improved the life of countless people around the world. The article was a beautiful lament to the disappearance of the company's CEO and the writer hoped that Stark Industries would survive and somehow Tony Stark would be recovered.

After three months, Tony finally made it back to the United States. He had been found wandering the desert, injured and severely dehydrated. Unknown to those outside Tony's personal circle, he had also come back with a token of his imprisonment, fixed into his chest.

Clicking on a link to a Youtube video, Steve watched Tony's first press conference after his three-month long captivity.

Steve chuckled at the sight of Tony eating a cheeseburger on the floor at a press conference, but his laugh was quickly cut off as he saw Tony's state and the vulnerability in both his voice and manner.

"I never got to say goodbye to my father. There's questions I would've asked him. I would've asked him how he felt about what his company did, if he was conflicted, if he ever had doubts. Or maybe he was every inch of man we remember from the newsreels. I saw young Americans killed by the very weapons I created to defend them and protect them. And I saw that I had become part of a system that is comfortable with zero-accountability."

"What happened over there?" A reporter - Tony called him Ben - asked.

At that moment, Tony transformed into the Stark he was more familiar with. Strong and determined, not broken from the events of his captivity, but fueled with a new purpose.

Had he been tortured? How deep did the damage go? The pain and suffering the man must have faced! Even Steve hadn't been tortured in his lifetime. Terrible beaten, yes, but he had never been held at the mercy of another for more than the few minutes it took to kick the breath and blood out of him. They never beat the will out of him, though. Never his will. Steve felt a large surge of respect for Tony as he listened to his words and witnessed the man's strength after being at the mercy of terrorists and almost at the mercy of Death himself.

"I had my eyes opened. I came to realize that I had more to offer this world than just making things that blow up. And that is why, effective immediately, I am shutting down the weapons manufacturing division of Stark International, until such a time as I can decide what the future of this company will be, what direction it should take, one that I'm comfortable with and is consistent with the highest good for this country, as well."

He'd held true to his word, as soon as Obadiah stopped pulling the strings. Stark Industries no longer manufactured and distributed weapons. Instead, they increased their focus on medical and crop technology, as well as branching out further into clean energy.

In addition, this determination led to the birth of Iron Man, and subsequently the rebirth of Tony Stark.

Steve sat in front of the computer thinking. It was understandable that Tony would regret his unintentional involvement in providing weapons for both sides of the war, but Steve knew it wasn't Tony's fault. He had no reason to regret, or feel guilty, or feel ashamed. When weapons were made, distribution couldn't always be controlled, especially when the reason the weapons were provided to the enemy was because of a traitor in the company. Steve knew firsthand how weapons could exchange owners. The Hydra weapons his men stole from the factories were excellent examples. Unwittingly, Schmidt and his men had provided powerful weapons for any who could get their hands on them.

Steve knew that in Tony's heart, he had just wanted to help his country by creating more effective weapons that would end wars more quickly and bring their soldiers home safely. Plus, it was the family business. Howard Stark had worked in the weapons industry as well, so why would Tony stop? Tony's motivations were actually quite obvious when you read all of the newspaper articles about Iron Man freeing hostages, ferreting out insurgents and terrorist organizations, and protecting civilians around the globe. Tony wanted peace (or as close to peace as was attainable, knowing that mankind would never achieve peace) and to prevent people from living in fear of violence, of cruelty, of death.

And Tony Stark seriously thought he was a bully? That was the furthest thing from the truth! Steve knew that Tony did not want to be called a soldier because it was true - he wasn't a soldier. But Steve also knew that Tony would be the last person to consider himself a hero. The more Steve learned, the more he realized that's exactly what Tony was. Tony showed extreme care and loyalty not only to the people of his country, but to all those in danger. And even more so, Tony had proved that he would fight for the safety of those people, regardless of the personal consequences.

Just like Steve, Tony would die for others. At the same time, it was true that if there was another option, Stark would be the first to find it. He was a genius after all. Steve had mistook that sentence, "I think I would just cut the wire," as cowardice, when really it was intelligence. There was no need to sacrifice yourself when you could easily find a way to save both yourself and the others.

Caught in his thoughts, Steve didn't register the knock on his door. A few moments after, Tony opened the door and stuck his head in the room.

"Hey! Uh…hi!" Steve said quickly, surprised by Tony's quick appearance. Luckily, he managed to keep his wits about him enough to know not to slam the computer closed. That would be suspicious and lead to unwanted questions. Instead, he slowly closed the computer and looked up at the doorway which Tony was now comfortably leaning against.

"Hi," Tony said, smiling at the startled look on Steve's face. "Did you figure out how to work everything alright?"

Steve's mind scrambled internally, trying to figure out what he was talking about. "Um…what? Oh, the computer! Yes, I did, thank you…it's pretty cool, the internet," Steve rambled.

Tony chuckled. "Yes, it's very prominent in today's society. And never ceases to suck you in with its wonders. Complete detriment to our youth, and so on. I'm nervous for when I have to teach Thor!"

Steve laughed, picturing the scenario. He noticed how the skin around Tony's eyes crinkled when he laughed, and he felt his cheeks flush a little. Yes. The attraction was still there, even when the man was wearing more clothes. Damn it.

Smiling up at Tony, Steve said, "Thanks again for the present. Both presents."

There was a slight rosiness in Steve's cheeks for some reason, which Tony had to admit make him look entirely too adorable than was healthy. It also made him extremely curious as to what he was looking up on the internet and what the captain was thinking about.

"It was my pleasure," Tony said, looking down at his hands which were fiddling with a stress ball. "Anyways, everyone wanted to get together and watch a movie. Join us?" He continued, looking up at Steve with what could almost be called uncertainty and a bit of uncharacteristic shyness.

"Yeah, sure. I'll be there in a bit, just going to put this away," he said, gesturing to his computer. In actuality, Steve just needed to have a minute to himself to stuff down these feelings that were bubbling to the surface. Tony was hot, ugh so damn hot, _and _now Steve truly respected him. On top of that was the awkwardness because of their past animosity. It was just too much at the moment to continue in Tony's presence. Especially now that he wanted to touch him or hug him.

"Okay, cool," Tony said, smiling once more before leaving the way he came. Steve found himself watching the genius leave.

"Oh god, this is a disaster," Steve thought, rubbing his face in his hands.

* * *

**AN: **I'm excited for the UST that will be prevalent in the next chapter! I hope this starts picking up quickly with less character ramblings and more action, but I just write what my brain tells me to! It's starting to seem so drawn out, even to me. Anyways, here's to praying I get more time to write soon! **~Heather**


	6. Stubborn Idiots

**AN: **Finally, here's an update. Hope it's alright. Love you all! **~Heather**

* * *

When Steve walked out of the elevator onto the team floor, he saw that everyone was already relaxing on the couch, except for Tony.

Natasha was sitting on the couch, leaning back into the cushions, wearing a smile as she chatted amiably with Bruce, who sat nearby. Clint was settled on the floor in between Natasha's thighs, in a manner that seemed way too comfortable, seeing as she could easily kill him in one move. Though, knowing Clint, that would probably be the way he wanted to go. Tony was messing around in the kitchen, the sounds of the microwave acting as background noise to the surprisingly tranquil entertainment room. As soon as Thor came back, Steve was sure that tranquility would change.

They greeted Steve with smiles, and wordlessly invited him into their conversation about Tolstoy, of all things. Steve was desperately hoping Tony wouldn't sit next to him, but to no avail. Finished fixing the snacks and bringing them to the large coffee table, Tony took the closest spot next to Steve. He would be lying to himself if he said his eyes _hadn't _been checking Tony out as he walked from the kitchen to the couch.

As if reading their minds, but more likely just used to their habits, JARVIS started the movie the others had chosen when they were all settled comfortably.

Thankfully, the movie they were watching, Tony had seen numerous times. With all the thoughts running through his mind, and the close proximity of the Captain, there was no way he could pay attention. Throughout the movie, Tony kept finding his eyes drift towards Steve. The captain was looking straight ahead at the movie and did not seem to notice he was being observed.

His thoughts ranged from Steve's past to his own guilt at their meeting to how he could further increase the amiability between them. Steve was so stoic, how could he keep all of that turmoil inside? Was he even feeling the same turmoil as the inventor? While Tony was an absolute mess with his thoughts, Steve appeared calm and collected.

And they _were_ purely platonic thoughts. But then – Steve laughed. A full, happy laugh at a funny scene in the movie. He looked completely different from the serious soldier Tony had first met. This man looked like he could have fun and let loose from time to time. And this man was attractive. Tony had noticed it instantly. How could outer beauty not be considered when forced upon a team of attractive individuals (hotties) all at once? First there was Natasha. Breathtakingly gorgeous in a you-want-me-but-yeah-right-in-your-dreams-buddy kind of way. After their initial meeting, Tony knew not to attempt seducing Natasha. She was extremely out of his league. Clint was ruggedly handsome and had the strong, masculine body befitting an insanely skilled archer and SHIELD agent. Thor was every bit the Norse god. Flowing gold hair, bulging muscles, his face kind yet regal. Bruce was very handsome, and terribly adorable in his teddy bear scientist nerdy way. Steve, though, was society's ideal picture of beauty. Tony had seen him in the suit. His hip to shoulder ratio was outrageous, the way his body would taper down to a point. His muscles were large, smooth, and lean – like the physique of a quarterback or the strong build of a swimmer. Everything about him was beautiful: the always perfectly combed golden blonde hair, matched with the warmest blue eyes Tony had ever seen, the strong jaw, perfectly-proportioned face, and lips just begging to be kissed. The fullness of his bottom lip was absolutely sinful. Tony's own lips were suddenly dry, so he sucked his lower lip into his mouth to wet it. Unfortunately, this was exactly what he wanted to do to Steve's bottom lip, so wetting his lips did nothing to alleviate the dryness of his mouth.

Suddenly, Tony noticed how close he was sitting to Steve. Looking down at the couch, he felt the urge to take the hand in his own. What was going on with him? He started to feel antsy, which was perfectly normal when he sat still for so long, but this was a different kind of antsy. His fingers were itching to touch Steve's skin, and when Tony glanced back up to his face, his desire to kiss those lips was intense. Was it because he hadn't gotten any for awhile? Or were his growing positive feelings for the soldier opening his eyes to previously unexplored territory?

He _had _noticed Steve's attractiveness instantly. But what was different now was that he wanted to act on this attraction. Then, he had considered it a shame that another gorgeous person turned out to be a dick, which allowed him to work in the captain's company without being distracted by lust or any other unprofessional thoughts. Now, though, Steve wasn't a dick. Steve was everything he had always been praised as. He had made mistakes, but not nearly as many as Tony. He finally admitted it. He liked the guy. He respected the guy. But this was too much – now he was attracted to him? If Tony did the math, which he was very good at, he knew it was obvious what he wanted. Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT. Way to go, Stark. You now have a crush on an unattainable man who despises everything you are, and for good reason.

* * *

Midway through the movie, Steve had noticed he was being observed. Unknowingly, he tensed up slightly, his body hyperaware of every movement next to him. Steve was pretty good at hiding his attraction to other people, but with Tony's eyes on him, he felt sure it was obvious how much he wanted Tony.

"What was Tony thinking about? Why would he be studying me?" Steve thought. He tried his hardest to return his attention to the movie, as there was no way he could figure out Tony's mind, but the thought of Tony's gaze on him prevented him from doing anything but pretending to watch the movie.

Was Tony reevaluating his decision to let Steve stay here? The man had been nothing but kind and hospitable to him. Was Tony remembering the cruel words Steve had said to him when they first met? From what Steve had seen last night, it seemed Tony agreed with Steve's words on that day, and that did not sit well with Steve at all. They weren't true, none of them were, but obviously Tony had either taken them to heart or they had aggravated the thoughts that Tony already thought were true, branded into him by the media, his father, even his team. The guilt ate at him.

* * *

Bruce was too engrossed in the movie to observe much of what was happening around him, and he was exhausted from late nights running experiments in the lab. Clint was oblivious to the tension emanating from their side of the couch, but the cause might be in part to hand combing through his hair, gentle fingers running down the line of his neck as he leaned his head against Natasha's knee. Natasha looked completely at home here, surrounded by people she had grown to trust. Absentmindedly, she showed her affections for Clint, deciding these men could be entrusted with her weakness. Plus, any villain would be hard pressed to use Clint against her. Barring Loki from the equation, Clint was pretty damn hard to capture and even more difficult to coerce. She directed the rest of her attention partially towards the movie, and partially towards the painfully ignorant pair on the couch.

Stark's attraction was written all over his features. Could he make it any more obvious? But, it seemed Steve was completely unaware of the lust he was inciting. Steve was harder to read, but he at least knew he was being watched by Tony. The stiff way he was sitting could not be comfortable, but he was too self-conscious to move under Stark's gaze. They sat through the entire movie, both unable to pay attention to the screen, battling their thoughts internally, incapable of answering the questions they posed for themselves because they were too stubborn to ask. Idiots.

* * *

Steve felt his honor tug at his conscience. He had no clue what Tony was thinking, but he could no longer sit here and let Tony think he still meant what he'd said that day. Now was the time to start making things right. Leaning slightly towards Tony, he said softly,

"Tony, can I speak with you?"

After recovering from the swift surge of excitement when Steve shifted closer to him, Tony took a deep breath. Steve must have finally reached present day in his studies. He couldn't predict what Steve would say, but he really couldn't bear it if the man was disappointed in him. Slipping on his mask of cheerful indifference, he turned to the newly found object of his romantic interests and said,

"Sure, Steve, what's up?"

Gesturing with his head towards the door, Steve got up and made his way out of the room. Tony followed, while the others continued to watch the movie. Once the door to the entertainment room was closed, Steve stood tall and looked straight at Tony.

"I really wanted to apologize for what I said when we met. I was completely wrong and I had no right to say the things that I did."

Tony felt the mask slip from his face as his brow furrowed in confusion and shock. "Um…what?" His brain supplied, but he didn't give voice to this thought. This was definitely _not _about Tony's past then. That was a relief, though he also felt like it was just delaying the inevitable. As to Steve's apology, Tony didn't want anyone, let alone Steve, to know that someone could get to him with words, so he just smiled in a friendly manner and tried to blow it off.

"Hey, don't worry about it! Even _I_ think half those things are true," Tony said offhandedly. "Plus, Loki's scepter wasn't really making any of us friends that day."

"No, it was unprofessional of me, extremely unkind, and wholly inaccurate. You…you are a much different man than I thought then, Tony."

Steve wanted Tony to know how vastly different he felt towards him, without actually letting him _know _how much he knew about Tony, how much of the other side of Tony he had seen when he wasn't supposed to.

"Mmm, so changed your mind about my ugly building then, have you? That really bore the harshest sting," Tony said cheekily, trying to skip the rest of the apologetic discussion that he really didn't feel he deserved.

"Nope, still an eyesore," Steve said, smiling at Tony's resultant scowl. "Though I must say, this building is growing on me." _Everything about this place is growing on me, especially you, Tony_, Steve thought.

"Well, maybe I'll have to assign you as the architect for the next building project and then it won't be so terrible."

"Sounds like a plan," Steve said, continuing the jest…or was Tony being serious? It was confusing. Steve felt off balance around Tony, unsure of where they stood and how to act.

There was a slightly awkward pause as neither man knew what to say.

"Well, I should…go back and finish the movie," Steve said, beginning to walk away.

"Come on, Stark," Tony told himself silently. The original plan had been to mend bridges - he had wanted to become closer to the man anyways, before all of this confusion. Finally, Tony forced himself to speak.

"Steve?" The man turned back, a hesitant look in his eyes.

"Yeah, Tony?" Tony looked down at the floor for a moment, but raised his head and released the words.

"I was wrong too." And god, saying those words was so worth it when Steve smiled. When he smiled, Tony could see why girls – and guys – swooned over Captain America. He could see why Steve's teachers in school and all of his neighbors adored him. Steve's smile was all-encompassing – his entire face smiled instead of just his mouth – and his smile was contagious. Tony found himself beginning to smile, even before Steve spoke.

Steve knew that was the closest anything Tony would ever say to an apology, not that the man needed to apologize to him anyways. With a sincere smile, and a wave of his hand, he said, "It's in the past." With one more parting glance, Steve reentered the entertainment room.

Tony didn't come back in to finish the movie, but instead went straight to his lab to try and escape his thoughts.

* * *

**AN: **Thanks for reading :)


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